


Bring Me 'Round Again

by idra



Category: Numb3rs
Genre: Episode Fixit (sort of), Episode s03e11: Killer Chat, M/M, Not (technically) Cheating, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-27 05:02:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5034802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idra/pseuds/idra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlie is going to miss Larry, but he's not sure he wants Amita to be the one who sticks around either.  After all, there are those pesky little feelings regarding one of Don's team to consider.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bring Me 'Round Again

**Author's Note:**

> I was re-watching Season 3 recently and I don't even remember at what point in the episode I started getting itchy and antsy to write Charlie/Colby, but by the time I got to the team saying goodbye to Larry before he went off with Buzz Aldrin, I knew where it had to start. So this is the result of me banging my head against a virtual wall, because Charlie/Colby won't let me go write anyone else. I'm still not a hundred percent on the ending, but I couldn't write more.
> 
> will probably, eventually, maybe, hopefully evolve itself into a many parts series, but that will remain to be seen.

Don walks over after Megan and Larry leave and clasps Charlie on the shoulder. "You okay, Chuck?"

"I'm terrified." Charlie looks up at Don, eyes shining. "What if..."

"Don't think the worst," David says as he and Colby rejoin them. "Larry gets to live out his dream and you get to see it happen."

"According to Megan, you made it happen," Colby adds. 

"I couldn't not. It's Larry's dream." Charlie sighs. "I think I need to get drunk."

A few minutes pass with Colby, Don and David making plans to take Charlie and Megan to a bar when Megan returns. She sits next to Charlie and lays her head on his shoulder. "Buzz Aldrin came to pick him up. Larry said they thought he might get lost."

"He has always been geographically challenged," Charlie murmurs, pressing his cheek to her hair. When he hears Don mention bringing Amita along, he shakes his head. "Please, no. I adore Amita, but..." He takes a few deep breaths, then lets out a sigh. "She'll only try to make me feel bad that I'm sad."

Don frowns, but agrees. Megan hooks her arm through Charlie's and lifts her head, looking at him. "What's going on with you and Amita?" she asks. "Some days you're as close as anyone I've ever seen and other days... Other days you're as distant as is possible with her."

"She's not sure about us. About... well, anything, to be honest, I think. Mildred keeps telling her that no one will take her seriously if she dates her former thesis provider. And she has some sort of... hero worship, I guess, for Mildred because she's done so much and is as young as she is." Charlie shrugs and presses a kiss to Megan's cheek. "Thank you for asking."

"Maybe you should make the final decision."

"I'm kind of trying to figure out what I want." Charlie glances up when he hears Colby, Don and David laugh and his eyes track Colby as he throws his hands up and shakes his head. "You and Larry are really close."

"Yes, we are. And yes, he has told me stories about you and him and the things you got up to while you were a student."

"What kind of stories?"

"The ones you, for some reason, do not want your brother to know. And the ones you don't want your dad to know. The drugs and the booze and the men and women. I always wondered which ones you didn't want your family to know about."

"The men, mostly. Dad would be heartbroken to know I prefer... The booze, they'd both understand. The drugs, they would try to get. The women, they'd both be proud of in a way. I mean, to them, that would be all the right things about me, you know?"

"It's that standard male thing, yeah. Do you... Who? Which one of our team? David or Colby?"

Charlie flushes and presses his cheek to Megan's shoulder. "Colby."

"Ah. I don't blame you. Colby is definitely good to look at." Megan gets to her feet and pulls Charlie up. "Let's go get a drink and raise a toast to Larry and him living out his lifelong dream."

Charlie nods and they let the guys take them out to the local Fed hangout. Several drinks later, Charlie is listing to the side as he writes out an equation on a paper napkin, trying to explain the Eppes Theorem to Colby. "It's sloppy, but it was my first big thing... Well, sort of." Charlie giggles and nearly slides off his chair, only stopping because Colby wraps an arm around his waist and straightens him out. "Thanks. My very first big thing was a guy named Eric. He was very, very big."

Colby raises an eyebrow and looks around, glad that Don isn't paying attention. "Oh yeah? Did you enjoy that?" He asks it softly, pulling Charlie towards the bar. "We need a glass of ice water and a cup of coffee, please." He focuses back on Charlie. "Charlie?"

"I enjoyed it lots and lots." Charlie leans against Colby, hand on his stomach. "I'd enjoy you too."

Colby's stomach twitches and he takes Charlie's hand off his stomach. "You're my boss's baby brother, Charlie. I can't do that."

"Please, Colby. I want you, so much."

Colby sighs a little. "Not now, Charlie. If you feel the same when you're sober and after all this with Larry is taken care of, then talk to me. But right now, I can't help but think you're gonna regret this in the morning and I do not want to be anyone's regret."

Charlie looks into his face and licks his lips. "You would never be a regret, but I'll wait. Can you stay with me? For tonight, please? Make sure I don't choke on my own vomit."

Colby snorts, but nods. "Yeah. I'll stay with you for tonight, but just to make sure you don't get sick. Can't have our resident genius choking on his own puke." He gets Charlie to drink the water, then the coffee, then offers to drive him home.

Once they get to the Eppes house, Colby tucks Charlie into bed then heads downstairs. He plops down on one of the chairs and turns the TV on low, glancing over when Don stumbles in. "Hey. Alan's not here."

"No, Dad's at Millie's. What're you doing here?" Don frowns at him.

"Charlie got really wasted. I promised him I'd stay and take care of him, if he needed me."

Don sinks into a chair opposite him. "Why you?"

"'Cause he didn't want you to see him like that." Colby looks Don over. "What do you know about your brother, Don?"

"I know that Charlie is too smart for his own good. I know that he's a pain in the ass, but he's a child in so many ways. I know that Mom and Dad coddled him from an early age." Don leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees and his face in his palms. "I know he was addicted to heroin and cocaine at one point, but Larry got him clean and sober. I know he's gay, but he tries so hard to be straight for Dad and me. I know he loves Amita, but not like she deserves or like he deserves." He lifts his head and stares straight into Colby's eyes. "I know that he has a thing for you, but he ignores it because you're FBI and he thinks you'd reject him. But I've seen the way you look at him, Colby."

Colby looks away, letting out a deep breath. "Yeah?"

"Yes."

Colby closes his eyes, leaning his head back. "How do I look at him, Don?"

"Like he's your salvation," Don says as he pushes himself to his feet. "Like he's your beginning and your end. Like he's all you have ever wanted in life."

"Don, I..."

"I don't have a problem with it. You probably shouldn't tell anyone in the Bureau except the team."

"What about your Dad?"

"Dad was a hippie. If anyone understands that you can't help who you love, it's him."

"But he's so adamant that you and Charlie give him grandchildren."

"You can't adopt? Or hire a surrogate? There's a million ways to have children, Colby. But if I'm wrong, if you don't feel that way about Charlie, by all means, there's the door." Don pulls Colby up and points him in the direction of the door. "If I'm wrong about how you feel, then leave. Don't get Charlie's hopes up. But if I'm right..." Don points him in the direction of the stairs. "Go to Charlie. Sleep on the other side of his bed. Be there for him when he wakes up and remind him that it's okay to be who he is." After that, Don walks into the kitchen. 

Colby stares at the stairs, then looks back at the door. He could walk out and Charlie, himself, Charlie's family, Amita-- none of them would ever hurt because he can't control his whims. But as he thinks of a life without Charlie-- without Charlie loving him back-- his stomach drops and he sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. He starts for the stairs, wondering if he's making the best or worst decision of his life.

He stops to think about what he's doing-- the spying for spies, being a triple agent and living his whole life as a lie-- and he knows in the morning, he'll go see his handler and tell him he wants out, then he'll talk to Dwayne and let him know that he's done. After that, he'll come clean with everyone in the team and whatever happens with that, happens. He has to let Charlie know first, so that he doesn't find out after everyone. Colby lets himself into Charlie's room and strips down to his boxers, laying down next to him. He closes his eyes and falls asleep quickly.


End file.
